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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · bound · squash · current · firm · cue · kick · rash

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cue — for pool
  3. current — happening now
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. firm — steady
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bound — certain
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cue — a signal
  17. current — of water
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. current — electric
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com